A Fairy Tale Find

A classic cottage in Arden gets an update by going back to its roots.

by Eileen Smith Dallabrida

(page 3 of 4)

The faucets on the sink and bin pulls on the cupboards are crisp, shiny chrome that reflect the vintage cocktail shakers on the bar. Overhead is a glass tulip lamp, an ever-fresh design that mimics the bell-shaped flower. A washer and dryer are stationed under the granite counter.

“Now doing laundry is fun,” Somerville says.

So is living in Arden, especially for people who love art and history.

Named for the sylvan retreat in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” Arden was founded in 1900 by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price. The utopian community was based on the Single Tax philosophy of political economist Henry George, in which residents do not pay taxes on the houses they own but rather on the land they rent.